Cartoon Network Brings the Force to Friday Nights

Reported by Jay Cochran - 07:16 PM 2008.07.14

Cartoon Network is the new destination for action and adventure on Friday nights with three original animated series and all new episodes of the hit series Ben 10: Alien Force premiering this fall. Anchored by the highly anticipated new series from George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Friday nights will also include The Secret Saturdays and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

“The epic scale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars makes it the perfect series to help us launch a new night of action and fantasy programming,” said chief content officer Rob Sorcher. “This fall, Friday nights on Cartoon Network are going to give kids of all ages the adventure of a lifetime.”

A weekly, half-hour mini-movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will electrify both followers of the past films and new viewers who have an appreciation for great storytelling and innovative animation. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a CG- animated episodic series that spans dozens of planets to tell the stories of The Clone Wars, the pivotal time period between Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.

Picking up where this summer’s theatrical release leaves off, Star Wars: The Clone Wars delivers the multi-generational appeal that George Lucas continues to master. Viewers will be treated to a weekly mini-epic as Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan-Kenobi and the rest of the Jedi Knights battle in the high-stakes Clone Wars. Incorporating beloved characters (Yoda, C-3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi), as well as brand new ones (Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress), Star Wars: The Clone Wars expands the scope of Star Wars with all new drama and adventure. Lucasfilm Animation, which is based in Marin County, Calif., with a studio in Singapore, has produced more than 30 episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The Secret Saturdays is a comedy-action series from Cartoon Network, Porchlight Entertainment and creator Jay Stephens about a family of world-saving adventure scientists. Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday live in a hidden base and are part of a network of scientists who protect against all the underlying evil in the world. To the Saturdays, ordinary folktales aren’t just legends, but real-life mysteries and adventures. Traveling from the Gobi Desert to the Marianas Trench, they explore ancient temples and bottomless caves and tangle with twisted villains, including the masked madman V.V. Argost and his half-human/half-giant spider.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold is the latest interpretation of Warner Bros. Animation’s classic Batman franchise and this time Batman isn’t going at it alone! Our caped crusader has teamed up with heroes from across the DC Universe, delivering nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief. Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Aquaman and countless others will get a chance to uphold justice alongside Batman. Though still based in Gotham, Batman will frequently find himself outside city limits, facing situations that are both unfamiliar and exhilarating. With formidable foes around every corner, Batman will still rely on his stealth, resourcefulness and limitless supply of cool gadgets to bring justice home.

All new episodes of Cartoon Network’s hit original series Ben 10: Alien Force will join the three new series as part of the unparalleled fantasy/adventure on Friday nights. Ben 10: Alien Force originally premiered in April 2008 with record ratings as the most-watched original series premiere in Cartoon Network history. The animated series continues the Ben 10 saga five years later, when 15-year-old Ben Tennyson chooses to once again put on the OMNITRIX. He discovers that it has reconfigured his DNA and can now transform him into 10 brand new aliens. Joined by his super-powered cousin Gwen Tennyson and his equally powerful former enemy Kevin Levin, Ben is on a mission to find his missing Grandpa Max. In order to save his Grandpa, Ben must defeat the evil DNALIENS, a powerful alien race intent on destroying the galaxy, starting with planet Earth.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 91 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service offering the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Overnight from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.